Day 1: From Empty Folder to Live Site
The entire TKB Strategies open consulting company went from an empty folder to a live editorial site in a single day. Three working sessions. Forty-six percent of an 82-task roadmap completed. A repository initialized, a GitHub Organization created, a premium editorial site designed and deployed, all in the open.
This is what we built and how we built it.
The Day in Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Phases complete or substantially complete | 3 of 9 |
| Tasks completed | 38 of 82 |
| Overall progress | 46% |
| PRs merged | 4 |
| Working sessions | 3 |
| Site live at | tkb-strategies.github.io/OpenStrategies |
Session 1 — Foundation
Phase 1: Local Repository Foundation — Complete (19/19)
Started with an empty folder in WSL. By the end of this session, the repository had a full directory structure for plugins, themes, frameworks, workshops, presentations, products, and documentation. Every directory received a CLAUDE.md file providing AI context so that Claude Code could assist effectively from the first interaction. Governance documents established the hard boundaries: what goes in the repo (open methodology), what never does (client data, credentials, engagement details). The .gitignore, SECURITY.md, and CONTRIBUTING.md encode those boundaries into the tooling itself.
Key artifacts:
- Root
CLAUDE.mdwith architecture, code standards, deployment notes, and confidentiality boundaries docs/ROADMAP.md— 9-phase, 82-task project plandocs/OPERATIONS-JOURNAL.md— daily closeout log with structured templatedocs/STACK.md— full technology stack documentation.gitignoreexcluding secrets, client-prefixed files, database dumps, and build artifacts
Session 2 — Planning and Preparation
Roadmap and tracking infrastructure established.
The project plan grew from an initial sketch into a fully phased roadmap. Docusaurus was added as Phase 3 when we decided the GitHub Organization should have a public-facing documentation site, not just a code repository. Setup scripts were created for both the GitHub remote connection and the Docusaurus scaffold so that Phase 2 and Phase 3 kickoff would each be a single command.
Key decisions:
- Daily closeout format standardized with task IDs, decisions table, blockers, files changed, and next-session priorities
.github/profile/README.mdauthored pre-org-creation so it would deploy on first push- Adopted
feature/*branching model withmainas always-deployable production
Session 3 — Build and Ship
Phase 2: GitHub Organization — 90% complete (9/10)
Created the TKB-Strategies GitHub Organization with the OpenStrategies repository. Connected the local repo, pushed main, configured branch protection (require PR before merge), stored FTP credentials as GitHub Secrets for future WordPress deployment, and enabled GitHub Pages with source set to GitHub Actions.
Phase 3: Docusaurus Public Site — 77% complete (10/13)
This is where the day got interesting.
The Docusaurus scaffold initially failed on the NTFS-mounted Windows filesystem. WSL could not complete the file permission operations. Rather than work around it, we made an operational decision to migrate the entire working tree to the WSL-native Linux filesystem. This eliminated the permission issues permanently and improved Git and npm performance.
With the scaffold in place, we replaced every default component with a custom editorial design:
- Typography: DM Serif Display for headlines and Lato for body, creating the contrast of a high-end impact report
- Color palette: Extracted directly from the production site CSS, built around dark slate blue (
#345168), gold (#ffd088), amber (#ffb356), warm parchment backgrounds, and cool gray accents - Landing page: Full-viewport cinematic hero, impact-report stat strip, editorial framework cards, dark philosophy quote section with film-grain texture, tools preview, and warm closing CTA with scroll-triggered reveal animations
- Documentation styling: Gold-underlined h2 headings, amber sidebar active indicators, impact-report tables, and editorial blockquotes
- No stock images: The design carries on typography, gradients, SVG dividers, and spatial composition alone
A GitHub Actions workflow deploys the site automatically on every merge to main.
Architecture
Decisions That Shaped the Day
| Decision | Why | What It Changed |
|---|---|---|
| Migrate working tree to WSL-native filesystem | NTFS mount caused EPERM errors during Docusaurus scaffold | Eliminated all permission issues and improved Git and npm operations |
| Git metadata in Linux filesystem with pointer file | WSL cannot do reliable chmod operations on NTFS | Reliable Git operations with a .git pointer at repo root |
CLAUDE.md at every directory level | Claude Code reads the nearest context file | AI-assisted development has correct architecture and boundary context from first interaction |
| Scope repo to custom work only, not full WordPress | Core WordPress files remain managed by hosting | Clean repo boundaries and deployment aimed at specific wp-content/ paths |
| Docusaurus on GitHub Pages | Free, markdown-native, and builds from existing repo content | Frameworks publish automatically on merge to main |
| DM Serif Display + Lato typography | Editorial contrast and Lato matches the production site | The Docusaurus site reads like the publication arm of TKB Strategies |
| CSS-only visual design with no images | Fast loads, no licensing overhead, and GitHub Pages simplicity | Premium feel from typography, gradients, and spatial composition alone |
.gitattributes with LF enforcement | Line-ending drift was detected after WSL migration | Prevents CRLF/LF issues for future cross-platform work |
Where We Stand
Three parallel tracks are now unblocked:
- Framework content (Phase 7) — Start publishing Compassionate Agility, Liberation Mapping, and the Steward's Manual
- WordPress staging (Phase 4) — Stand up
dev.tkbstrategies.comfor plugin development - MCP integrations (Phase 9) — Connect Claude Code to GitHub, Google Workspace, and external services
What Comes Next
The foundation supports everything ahead: real framework content populating the site, the quiz plugin pulled into version control, a staging environment for WordPress development, CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment, and eventually digital products on Gumroad and Udemy with source material managed right here in this repo.
The open consulting model is now publicly visible. The methodology, the tools, and the entire approach to building a consulting company are all version-controlled and available.
The methodology doesn't have to stay locked behind proposals. Today we proved that.